Advertisement

Advertisement

terephthalic acid

[ ter-ef-thal-ik, ter- ]

noun

, Chemistry.
  1. a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C 8 H 6 O 2 , the para isomer of phthalic acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of resins and textile fibers.


terephthalic acid

/ ˌtɛrɛfˈθælɪk /

noun

  1. a white crystalline water-insoluble carboxylic acid used in making polyester resins such as Terylene; 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid. Formula: C 6 H 4 (COOH) 2
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of terephthalic acid1

First recorded in 1855–60; tere(bic) + phthalic
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of terephthalic acid1

C20: from terebene + phthalic acid
Discover More

Example Sentences

Previously, a team of researchers including Stephen Wallace engineered a strain of E. coli to transform the main component in old PET bottles, terephthalic acid, into something tastier and more valuable: the vanilla flavor compound vanillin.

At the same time, other researchers engineered microbes to metabolize terephthalic acid into a variety of small molecules, including short acids.

So, Wallace and a new team from the University of Edinburgh wanted to expand E. coli's biosynthetic pathways to include the metabolism of terephthalic acid into adipic acid, a feedstock for many everyday products that's typically generated from fossil fuels using energy-intensive processes.

The team developed a new E. coli strain that produced enzymes that could transform terephthalic acid into compounds such as muconic acid and adipic acid.

In experiments, the team found that attaching the engineered microbial cells to alginate hydrogel beads improved their efficiency, and up to 79% of the terephthalic acid was converted into adipic acid.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


terephthalateTeresa